Church should overcome temptation to secularization, bishops say

The bishops’ conferences of Europe issued a statement at the end of their meeting in Covadonga, Spain, in which they encouraged the Church to give “witness to the risen Christ, to give Europe back to God with humility and liberty” in the midst of a secular society.

In their statement, the bishops said that Christians in Europe “have an opportunity: to give witness to how the Christian faith possesses a singular richness for humanity. The Church should be herself and overcome in her interior the temptation to secularization.”

“In Europe there is room for this healthy identity and for a serious and open-minded proposal of the faith,” the bishops said. They noted that the faith is capable of “fulfilling the deepest aspirations of humanity, broadening the horizons of reason beyond the merely scientific, and of fostering culture. There are many experiences, both at the parish level and within old and new spiritual movements, that show that it is possible to live a Christian life in a secularized culture.”

“It is time to deepen our Christian identity, our membership to the Church, our communion and our responsibilities with the people of today,” the bishops said.